The Holy Spirit is promised to every believer, but what is the Spirit's purpose, and how can we tell when he's at work? in us. Alastair Begg helps us think about these questions today on Truth for Life as we look at chapter 16 in John's Gospel. Alastair has already identified key attributes of the Holy Spirit. He's a unique person.
He is one with the Father and the Son. He was an agent of creation, and that's where Alistair picks things up. Fourthly. The Spirit of God is the agent of God's new creation. He is the one who created the world, and He is the world who creates Christians.
God the Holy Spirit. has created brand new people. Those who were dead. He is made alive. Fifthly, He is not only the author of creation and of new creation, he is also the author of the scriptures.
He's the author of the scriptures. That's the explanation that we have for our Bible. That the scriptures in 2 Timothy 3:16 are said to be breathed out, they are theop neustus, that God has breathed out His Word. That the breath of the Almighty of God in the person of the Spirit is the one who creates Scripture itself. And indeed, when Peter writes about this, he says the prophets have written all these things in the past, and they were men who were carried along by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Now they were in control of their senses. They were not automatons. They had distinct personalities. They lived in a period and time. But as they themselves gave voice to what they said, as they themselves had written down what they proclaimed, they were to discover what was said of God concerning Jeremiah, where he says to Jeremiah, I have put my words in your mouth.
How can God put his words in the mouth of his prophet? By his Holy Spirit.
Now In moving on, let me just say this. That when Jesus speaks here, Concerning another counselor who will come, I will send you another counselor. He is not using the word heteros for another of a different kind. But he is using the word allos, which is another of the same kind. And the one, says Jesus, who is going to come alongside you, paracaleo, the paraclete.
The one who is going to come alongside you. is just like me. And indeed, he will reinforce for you. All the things. that I've been telling you.
Now you will notice, and we'll come to this as a third and final point, the necessity of Jesus' departure, the identity of the one who is to come, and the activity of the Spirit. What is the Spirit's activity? We don't have time to work it all out, but let me just get us started on it. First of all, in relationship to the world. When the Spirit comes, verse 8, he will convict the world of guilt.
In regard to sin, righteousness and judgment.
So the work of the Spirit of God is to prove the world guilty. It is to secure A guilty verdict against the world in its rebellion. In its wandering from the truth, in its unrighteousness, in its flippancy in the face of eternity, in its denial of the fact that one day we will stand before God and answer to Him, in all of these things, the work of the Spirit of God is to prove the world guilty and then. to bring the world's guilt home to the self of man.
So that the notion of a guilty world Is not sufficient to bring a man or a woman to faith in Christ. The fact that there is a guilty world, I may say, well, of course there's a guilty world. There are so many dreadful people out there, are there not? But it will take the work of the Spirit of God to say: the reason there is a guilty world is because I am a guilty man. That I dwell, that I am a man of unclean lips, and I live in the midst of people who also have unclean lips.
It is the work of the Spirit of God to do that. And if you're a Christian, you know that. And if you read your Bible, you will discover that. And indeed, you have a little foretaste on it even before Pentecost, when the thief on the cross. Who, along with his friend, has been abusing and disabusing Jesus in the earlier hours of the day, suddenly changes his tune.
suddenly changes his tune. It is for me one of the most dramatic things in the entire Bible. It makes me say, what happened here? Both of them were saying, if you're the Messiah of God, why don't you get down off the cross? If you're the Son of God, why don't you do a miracle?
This would be a good time for a miracle. And why don't you get us down with you? Because we don't like it up here any more than you do. You saved others. Why can't you save yourself for goodness sake?
And then Then Certainly the one fellow calls across to his friend, doesn't he? And he says, you know, I think you better pipe down. Because we are receiving the due reward for our deeds. But this man has done nothing wrong. How did he know that?
How did he discover that? Who gave him a course on theology? No one. Who? made him read a huge fat book.
No one. What happened to The Spirit of God. who is the author of New Birth. convinced him That the world is guilty. that he is guilty.
and that he is in the presence of one who has no guilt, but who somehow or another is about to bear the guilt that this man owns. which is the story of the gospel. And it is the work of the Spirit of God. to bring that home. It's fantastic.
By the time you get to the day of Pentecost, Peter is out there. Ah. Absolutely in full steam ahead. And what does he say? It's saying exactly what Jesus said would happen.
He says, you folks crucified him. You're guilty. God raised him from the dead. Because he lived a righteous life and he paid the penalty for sin. And he's alive.
And because he's alive, there's a judgment. But because He's a merciful God, you need not fear the judgment.
Well, they said, what should we do? He said, I'm glad you asked. Repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will actually receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. And 3,000 people were baptized. And Jerusalem was a buzz.
With the work. of God the Holy Spirit. Exalting Jesus.
Now, that is why it is imperative that we understand the work of God's Spirit always Christologically. In other words, that we never separate the person and work of Christ from the person and work of the Spirit. And that, you see, is significant when he goes on in the second little paragraph to explain the activity of the Spirit not now in relationship to the world, but in relationship to his own followers. Back in verse 26 of chapter 14, he has said, But the counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Here in chapter 16, the same thing is said in a different way.
The Spirit will guide you into all truth.
Now to whom is this promise given? This is not a generic promise given to every Christian who reads their Bible. That is the way it is usually taken. People say, well, of course, the spirit will guide us into all truth.
Well, the Spirit will guide us into all truth, but that is not what what Jesus is saying here. You remember that it says again and again through the gospel record that they didn't understand. Then he told them he must go up here and die and suffer at the hands of cruel men. And they said they didn't understand what he was on about. They didn't understand this, they didn't understand that.
And so Jesus says to them, I know that you haven't quite got the picture. But when the Spirit comes, When he falls upon you, he will lead you into all truth. He will bring to your remembrance the things that I've said, and he will clarify for you all of those issues. Why was that so important?
So that they might then declare to the world the truth concerning Jesus. And that truth which was preached. was then written down or enscripturated.
So that when we think in terms of the Spirit of God leading us into all truth, That is not into some esoteric discovery of that which is new. But that is into the discovery and the rediscovery of what we have in our Bibles. The late Professor John Murray puts it in a sentence. He says, All the truth. It is given us to know respecting Christ is deposited for us in the apostolic witness.
All the truth it is given us to know concerning Christ is deposited in the apostolic witness. And where do we have the apostolic witness? In our Bibles. That you see is why the Bible is so important. The Bible is so important because of what it is.
Because it is the creation of the Spirit of God. Calvin says, what kind of spirit did our Saviour promise to spend? Send? One who should not speak of himself, but suggest and instill the truths which he himself had delivered through the word. Listen to this.
Hence, The office of the Spirit promised to us. is not to form new and unheard of revelations. Or to coin a new form of doctrine by which we may be led away from the received doctrine of the gospel. But to seal on our minds the very doctrine which the gospel. Recommends And so it is that the work of Jesus is to go To die, to rise, to ascend, to send the Spirit, and he says it is to your advantage.
For two primary reasons, and with this I will stop. Because when I go, My presence will be universalized. And when I go, my presence will be internalized. For as long as he is physically with them, he can only be in one place at one time. If he is in Jerusalem, he cannot be in Nazareth.
If he is there at 10 o'clock in the morning, he can be with someone else at 10 o'clock in the morning. But when he goes and the Spirit comes, Then you understand why it is he is able to say, All authority has been given unto me, and I want you to go out into all the world and preach the gospel, and lo, I am with you always, even to the very end of the age.
So when we think of our missions family tonight, When we think about all of the kingdoms of the world, when we think about believers that are gathered and scattered throughout the entire universe. The reason That each of us is able to acknowledge the presence of the risen Christ with us is because of the ministry of God the Spirit. And He is no longer simply going to be with them. He is going to be in them. Whereas before he only taught them externally by word of mouth.
He looked them in the eyes, he did parables, he explained to them much of it they didn't get. He says, But don't worry about it, it is to your advantage that I'm going away, because when the Spirit comes and I will live within you, And that which I have said to you externally will now become apparent internally. Two things that I will definitely stop. I have confided in you before. By telling you that I am not simply intrigued by these verses.
I'm stirred by them. And I long. to live In the dimension to which they refer. I'm referencing John chapter 14. And verse 21.
And verse twenty-three Jesus says, Before long, verse 19, the world won't see me, and you will see me. Because I live, you will also live. On that day, you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. There's just Immense, isn't it?
Now here's the verse. whoever has my commands and obeys them, He is the one who loves me.
Now the person who makes great professions and protestations and And Necessarily does things that the watching world would say, oh, he must really love Jesus. Look at what he did, or look at his devotion. I can see it, or look at her, or whatever it is. No, whoever has my commands and obeys them, that's the one that loves me.
So that's that's. First, right?
Now here's the here's what happens. He who loves me will be loved by my Father. And I will love him as well. And I will manifest myself to him. I will show myself to him.
If anyone loves me, Jesus essentially says it again: if anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My father will love him. And we will come to him. and make our home with him. In the present climate, Amongst those Who would want to be strongest in their affirmations of Christian doctrine?
Doctrine that I would want to stand by and uphold myself. I see. A dangerous and significant Gap. Certainly between Strong doctrinal convictions. such as were represented, let's say, in the work of Jonathan Edwards.
in the awakenings. And strong doctrinal convictions in our own day. Because when you read Edwards, And you read Of what took place in Edwards and through Edwards. There was nobody who was more convinced or committed. to orthodox biblical teaching.
But nor was there anyone More. convinced in longing for in praying for, in yearning for. The outpouring of the Spirit of God. in his own life. and in the lives of those who were under his care.
We may have The most erudite teaching. We may have the most effective Proclamation. we may have the most secure Pastoral Ecclesiastical environment. And amount to virtually nothing for God. Unless he comes.
and fills us. and moves us. and stirs us. and equips us. It is Not for no reason.
that Jesus said If you Even though you are evil, Know how to give good gifts to your children. How much more will your Heavenly Father? Give the Holy Spirit. to them that ask him. I wonder, have you lately Ask the father.
to give to you. A special measure of His Spirit. You'll know. Oh, you know. Because you'll find yourself saying, Jesus must increase.
And I Must decrease. Jesus must be the name on our banner. Not Parkside. Jesus must be the name on our banner. not a systematic theology.
Because it is the work of the Spirit of God poured out upon the people of God to conform those people to the image of his Son. And here is my final quote. from my favorite Anglican minister. in the 1960s. David Watson, who died of cancer.
in his fifties. This verse is decisive against all additions and pretended revelations. subsequent to and beside Christ. It being the work of the Spirit to testify to the things of Christ. and not to anything new or beyond him.
Therefore any good test For any claim For a new work of the Spirit of God is this. Is Christ glorified. Is Christ At the center. If Christians claim some blessing of the Spirit, Have they a new love for Jesus? and you hunger for his word.
A new desire to tell others about him. These are the crucial issues. and personal experiences. Without these Christ-centered Consequences. are either meaningless or counterfeit.
Now what makes this quote so striking? is that David Watson was a leader. in the contemporary charismatic movement. within the Church of England. in the 60s and 70s.
This is not some Parson Who wants to deny the work and the power and the place of the Spirit? This is someone whose church was vibrant with the evidences of the Spirit's work. But he says, personal experiences. Without these Christ-centered consequences, are either meaningless or their counterfeit. But because there is that which is meaningless, And because there is that which is counterfeit, Should not Cause any of us.
Not too long after that. which is real. and which is true. and which is life-changing. You're listening to Bible teacher Alice Terbeg on Truth for Life.
Alastair returns in just a moment. If you're benefiting from this series from Alistair about the basics of the Christian faith and you find yourself wanting to dive deeper into these topics, there's a book we're recommending that will help you do just that. It's titled The Christian Life. It was written by Alistair's good friend Sinclair Ferguson. It's a great foundational book that unpacks Christian doctrine in a way that makes it easy to understand and applies it to daily living.
It looks at topics like grace and repentance and the new birth, and explains why these elements of the Christian faith are the key to living a life for Christ. The book is packed with Scripture references and Biblical insights to help explain what it really means to belong to Jesus. Ask for your copy of The Christian Life when you donate to Truth for Life today. You can do that on our mobile app, or online at truthforlife. org slash donate, or call us at eight eight eight five eight eight seven eight eight four.
And if you'd rather mail your donation along with your request for the book, write to Truth for Life at Post Office Box 398000, Cleveland, Ohio. four four one three nine Now here's Alastair to close with prayer. Father, we thank you that. When Jesus ascended on high, he led captives in his train. and he gave gifts to men.
And we thank you that you have poured out your spirit. in these last days, even as Joel prophesied. And we thank you that in Christ we have been baptized into one Spirit. That if we don't have the Spirit living in us, we're not even Christians. But in Christ Baptized into Christ, baptized with the Spirit in Christ.
We realize how easy it is for us to grieve the Spirit. To quench his work by our pride. to grieve him by our disobedience. By our toleration. of jealousy and animosity.
and unkind thoughts, and bitter words. And in the same way, as we often need to go to those whom we love most and say, you know. I never should have said that, and I am sorry.
So we need to come to you, Holy Spirit, and say the same. and ask you if you wouldn't just pick us up. In your embrace. If you wouldn't just fill us to overflowing.
So that Christ may be increasingly precious to us. and that our lives may be increasingly conformed. to his image. Come and meet with us, Lord, as individuals and as a church family. Come.
And pour out your spirit on Cleveland, we pray. Revive your work in the midst of the years. For we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Thanks for joining us today.
Is there a way to pray that is most effective? Or a special time of day that is more sacred, tomorrow we'll look to the Apostle Paul for guidance on prayer. The Bible teaching of Alastair Begg is furnished by Truth for Life. Where the Learning is for Living.
